Animal-rights groups rip Passover-sacrifice reenactment

'It's shocking, horrifying, and bizarre that this sort of event can be held in Israel'

Published: 04/10/2014 at 12:57 AM

(Times of Israel) A team of leading rabbis are set to publicly reenact the temple’s Passover paschal offering this week, complete with slaughtering a lamb, drizzling blood over an altar-like structure, and roasting the animal while adorned in traditional priestly garb, with accompaniment by a Levite choir

The ritual — now in its third year — drew fierce criticism from animal rights groups, the Walla news portal reported.

The purpose of the ceremony, a representative of The Joint Committee of Temple Organizations explained, is to practice the rituals “so on the day when we are permitted to bring the sacrifice, we’ll be trained [to do it].”